Refugee & Immigration Services

Employment Services

About the Program

Refugees come to America seeking a better life for themselves and their families. For many of them, the prospect of work and the ability to earn a living is an opportunity that has long been denied them. Our refugee clients are eager to take advantage of this new chance to provide for their family's support through their own labor.

Refugees have an excellent reputation among local employers as reliable, capable and ambitious workers. CFC’s Refugee Employment Program provides services that foster independence and self-sufficiency by facilitating refugees’ entry into the workforce.

Through our Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program, we are extending our services to include pre-vocational services, intensive supported employment, and ongoing supported employment to fit the needs of a wider set of Rochester's population. It has now been specifically designed to benefit those in the HCBS program; please visit our page to learn more.

What the Program Offers

Job Development

CFC works with area employers in a variety of business fields to open job opportunities for our refugee clients.

Employment services include preparing refugees for job placement, orientation to U.S. work culture and placement in suitable jobs as soon as possible after their arrival.

The RILS department operates refugee employment services as one of its four primary programs. RILS is a current operator of the NY State’s Targeted Assistance Grant (TAG) and RSSP from the Bureau of Refugee & Immigrant Assistance (BRIA) and also operates a Match Grant program through its VOLAG partners. Through these programs, RILS maintains a base of over 150 employers in the greater Rochester area and has placed over 250 refugees in jobs annually over the past three years. Over that time, refugees placed in employment by CFC had a 75% job retention rate after 90 days. Placement services include job search and completion of job applications, job counseling, accompaniment to interview and orientations and follow-up to ensure retention. Understanding that appropriate job preparation measures are crucial to placement and retention, RILS provides a variety of services to prepare its refugee clients for work including employment assessment, job preparation classes, individual job counseling, resume preparation and interview skills preparation.